Maharashtra: Day after 16 Naxals slain, police kill 6 more in Gadchiroli
Around 1 lakh security personnel have been deployed in the state for the smooth conduct of the polls
Inspector General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sharad Shelar said combing operations had been made difficult by heavy rains but that police expected to retrieve the bodies of more Naxals from the site of Sunday's encounter
A day after eliminating 16 Naxals in Karnasur jungle, the police in Gadchiroli district of eastern Maharashtra killed at least four rebels in a fresh encounter this evening, a top official said.
Other news reports put the number of slain Naxals at six.
The gun-battle took place in Rajaram Khandla jungle in Jimalgatta area of the district, said Inspector General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sharad Shelar.
The elite C-60 commandos of district police were involved in the operation, said another senior police official.
Shelar said that the exact number of slain Naxals was being confirmed, but at least four rebels have been eliminated.
Shelar also said that police expected to retrieve bodies of many more Naxals from the site of Sunday's encounter, as the combing operation had been made difficult by the heavy rains in the area.
As of now, police have found 16 bodies, and identified 11 of them. The encounter took place between the Naxals and a team of police commandos and the CRPF in Kasansur forest in Bhamragad yesterday morning.
Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur, earlier on Monday, attributed the success to accurate and specific intelligence, the low morale of the Naxals and divisions in their ranks.